The invention relates to the field of marine engine winterizing systems, and more particularly, to marine engine winterizing systems that can flush fresh water or sea water from the marine engine quickly and easily, stabilize the engine with liquid chemicals during the wintertime, and reclaim the liquid chemicals in the spring.
Several attempts have been made in the prior art to provide a system that winterizes and dewinterizes an engine by pumping and storing engine coolant.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,774 to Boyd discloses a system for winterizing a marine engine that includes a pump with a closed coolant storage tank working in association with a second pump and an open coolant recovery tank. The coolant fluid transfer lines connect the storage tank pump outlet to the recovery tank and connect the recovery tank pump outlet to the storage tank, further incorporating a control for operating the storage tank pump and recovery tank pump independently of each other. Antifreeze is discharged into, and removed from, the system by running the engine and pump at the same time. In winterization, antifreeze is pumped from the recovery tank into the engine and water is pushed out of the engine. In dewinterization, when water is pumped into the engine, antifreeze is pushed out and can be recollected in the recovery tank where it can be pumped to a supply tank for proper disposal or reuse.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,456 to Delport discloses a pressure-vacuum method for removing and replacing engine coolant in automobiles. The coolant is suctioned through a vacuum line into a holding tank and a pressure pump is used to deliver a new coolant. A quick connect coupler can be used for quick connection and disconnection to the engine.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,400 to Thompson and U.S. Pat. No. 4,057,364 to Bratschitsch, each discloses a pumping system for drawing liquid into or discharging the liquid from a tank by creating respectively a vacuum or pressurized conditions within the tank. It provides a special valve device to preclude the entry of contaminants into the pump.
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,587,864 to Sargent and U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,124 to Jenkins, each discloses an apparatus with two divided chambers of a tank and an air compressor driven from an engine or a pump. One chamber is used for holding the waste liquid by pressure transferred on application of air pressure or vacuum in the other chamber, where the other chamber keeps clean water or air.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,505 to Payne discloses a system including a storage tank, air pressure system for selectively applying the fluid pressure to the tank for extracting and injecting liquid coolant from and into a reservoir for an engine cooling system, and a hose connects the tank to the engine cooling system reservoir through a double shut-off-type coupling.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,154 to Sage discloses an oil changing apparatus having a single air compressor with internal combustion engine to provide vacuum to suction the oil from the motorized oil engine to the storage tank, and to pressurize the air to drain the storage tank rapidly. Fresh oil is added to the engine manually by gravity. Standard quick coupling connectors are employed to prevent leakage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,144 to Kriewaldt discloses vacuum tanks connected to a vacuum pump, which removes various operating liquids from fill ports of a salvage vehicle. Portions of the fumes drawn off through the vacuum line from the fluids in the tanks are fed through vacuum pump and burnt by the engine to drive the vacuum pump.
Many of the prior art only use a one-tank system to draw and discharge liquid. Separate processes are required to fill the engine with fresh liquid. Some of the prior art use two compartments in a tank system to separate the fresh liquid from the old liquid, however, many valves are involved, causing difficulties in operation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a marine engine winterizing system that is an improvement over the prior art.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a marine engine winterizing system that can reclaim the liquid chemicals in the spring time easily and efficiently without damaging the marine engine or its environment.
The present invention has many advantages. It reduces the time necessary to remove water from a marine engine which includes manifolds and coolers. It installs liquid chemicals into a marine engine faster than the previous systems. It removes liquid chemicals from the marine engine without polluting the water or the liquid chemicals, thereby allowing the liquid chemical to be reused.
Other advantages, objects and features of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from a review of the following detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a two-part device for transferring liquid to or from an engine, the first part of said device comprising at least one engine connection means attachable to the engine water exhaust manifolds; one line for each of said engine connection means, said line being anchored at one end to said engine connection means, and anchored at the other end to a vacuum pressure manifold, said vacuum pressure manifold housing a pump connection means for each line; and the second part of said device comprising a pump; two tanks connected to said pump, a first tank for holding the liquid drawn from the engine, and a second tank for holding the liquid to be transferred to the engine; two lines connected to said tanks, wherein a first vacuum line is connected to said pump for drawing liquid from the engine to the tank, and a first pressure line is connected to said pump for pushing liquid from the tank into the engine; connection means complementary to said pump connection means; and actuation means connected to a second vacuum line and a second pressure line, said actuation means controlling the function of said second vacuum line and said second pressure line, wherein when the second vacuum line is activated, fluid is drawn from the engine into the tank, and when the second pressure line is activated, fluid is pushed from the tank into the engine.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for transferring liquid to or from an engine, said device being comprised of a hand pump, and complementary connection means associated with the pump and engine, said connection means facilitating attachment of the hand pump to the engine. Two lines connect to the hand pump, the first line vacuum-drawing liquid from the engine, and the second line pressure-pushing liquid to a container. Actuation means on said system is by manually working the hand pump, said activation means controlling the drawing of liquid from the engine and the pushing of liquid into in the engine. By turning the body of the hand pump, the flow of liquid is reversed.